I'm not condemning New Orleans; it is in a very precarious situation, though. Moreso than the Netherlands or Venice, neither of which have to contend with hurricanes, but are apparenlty better prepared to deal with the inevitable, and both predate New Orleans by quite a bit.

Dirt boy and by the way I enjoyed our conversation last night I realize your not the enemy in this. The problem was storm surge. In large part to that inter coastal canal I believe. I think in some ways it was the perfect storm. Also if some idiot had secured a barge we wouldnt have had half the flooding in Nola esp in the lake view area that resulted in the waters you saw on canal and the quarter

No dirt boy the point is we know the situation. We also know there are solutions to it. We are full aware of the facts on the ground. Blissfull ignorance and pipedreams are not a current state of reality we are living with

The problem was storm surge. In large part to that inter coastal canal I believe. I think in some ways it was the perfect storm. Also if some idiot had secured a barge we wouldnt have had half the flooding in Nola esp in the lake view area that resulted in the waters you saw on canal and the quarter

The point is, Katrina was Cat 2 on the weak side. Surge was probably Cat 3.

The levees were supposed to hold up to Cat 3. They didn't.

What would happen if the levees were built to supposed Cat 5 strength, a Cat 5 hit, and it turns out the calculations were wrong again?

25
posted on 02/02/2006 10:37:42 AM PST
by dirtboy
(My new years resolution is to quit using taglines...)

No pessamist I saying learn a few facts first. From the discussion on this topic last night I think its shown to me and several conservative louisiana freepers who now are so hurt they dont come on here that the lack of thinking on this issue by many is incredible. We are not unprepared to make a few changes but really are sorry if we are not prepared to sit by while most of the State below I-10 becomes a swamp

Quote of the day: "Somebody needs to tell the mayor of Chocolate City to get the chocolate chips off their butts and stop waiting for the caramels to rebuild their houses and the vanilla's to pay for them."

30
posted on 02/02/2006 10:40:53 AM PST
by Texas Mom
(When they kill enough of us will we finally start profiling??)

Because we need a major port at the base of the Mississippi to provide a transfer point between ocean-going and river-going traffic, or all those red states in the middle of the Union starve economically.

Venice shoud be preserved because it has architectural masterpieces unmatched in all the World. But the tract housing in the New Orleans basin was dime-a-dozen shacks, such as can be found in every city in the United States. There is simply no reason that what was being done there could not be done more safely and much cheaper almost anywhere else.

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